Leathernecks to tangle with Golden Grizzlies

Friday

Oct 22, 2010 at 12:01 AMOct 22, 2010 at 9:16 PM

WIU men's soccer team faces Oakland in critical Summit League match

WIU Sports Media Services

The Western Illinois men's soccer team will hit the road for the final time in Summit League action when it travels to Pontiac, Mich., to take on Oakland at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The match will be played indoors at the Ultimate Soccer Arena.
The Fighting Leathernecks (3-6-5, 1-2-1 Summit) enter the weekend after a loss and a draw in their previous two matches. Western Illinois fell to Oral Roberts by a 2-1 score in overtime last Friday before playing Western Michigan to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. The Leathernecks played Oakland to a scoreless draw in Macomb last season.
The Golden Grizzlies (4-8-1, 1-1-1) fell to Milwaukee by a 2-0 score in a non-league match on Wednesday (Oct. 21) after playing defending Summit League Champion UMKC to a scoreless draw on Oct. 16. Oakland is 2-2-1 in it last five matches, including a 2-1 win over IUPUI and a 5-0 loss to No. 1 Akron.
Western Illinois goalkeeper Andy Ryan enters the weekend as the league's leader in saves (68) while ranking second in saves per game (4.86). Ryan currently ranks 37th nationally in saves per game and has recorded five or more saves in eight different matches this year. He also ranks third in the league in save percentage (.773) and has started every match in the net for the Leathernecks logging over 1,300 minutes. Ryan's teammates have also chipped in as Western has recorded five team saves.
In addition to Ryan's numbers, the Leathernecks lead the league in shots (192) and assists (15). Oskar Gasecki and Charlie Bales are tied for the team lead with 22 shots each. Darryl Odom leads the team with three assists and eight other players have recorded at least one assist on the season.
Saturday's matchup will be a key in determining which teams qualify for The Summit League Tournament, which will include the league's top-four teams in a single-elimination tournament at Oakland on Nov. 12 and 14. The Golden Grizzlies currently sit fourth in the league standings while the Leathernecks are in fifth-place.
The Leathernecks have a total of two matches left in league play, one this weekend and the season-finale against UMKC in Macomb on Nov. 6. A win for Western Illinois on Saturday could be the difference between fifth and third place, as the Leathernecks could put themselves in position to qualify for their third-straight postseason appearance.

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